‘13 hours of rigorous exercise needed to burn off Christmas Day calories’

People need to do 13 hours of rigorous exercise to burn off their Christmas Day calories, say health and fitness experts.

An average Christmas Day – breakfast, lunch, dessert, snacks and drinks – can add up to a whopping 5,350 calories, which could take up to 13 hours of intense exercise to burn off, according to health and fitness site Vivotion.com.

A spokesman said: “Christmas is the time for splurging and enjoying a variety of tasty treats, and many of us forget – or choose to ignore – the number of calories we’re putting into our bodies over the festive period.

“By taking into account each food type usually found on our plates over the course of Christmas Day, the team have calculated that the average person will consume over 5,000 calories on this one day alone, which is double the recommend daily calorie intake for a grown man.

“In order to wave goodbye to these extra, unwanted calories, the average person will have to spend between six and 13 hours completing rigorous exercise.

“You would need to tackle a 13-hour uphill walk, get in the boxing ring for over seven hours, or spend almost eight hours skipping with a rope.”

An hour of aerobics will be needed to burn off the roast potatoes alone, and an hour’s spin class will counteract just two pigs in blankets and a serving of honey roasted parsnips, he added.

It is estimated that the annual Christmas Day dinner contains almost 2,000 calories.